Rainbow Rebellion against Bronx Democrat boss Rivera faces challenges

Democracy, that rare visitor to Bronx politics, is showing its face as a party revolt, old scores and ambition rage across the borough.

Here goes:

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Jose's revenge?

With petitioning for ballot lines in the Sept. 9 primary cranking up last Tuesday, Assemblymembers Carl Heastie and Aurelia Greene, of the Rainbow Rebellion against Democratic Party boss Jose Rivera, are themselves facing revenge challenges.

Her chief of staff, Sherman Browne, has declared for Carl's northwest Bronx seat, while we're told attorney Angel Cruz, described by one party insider as "a Maria Baez lackey," is looking for a challenger to longtime party secretary Aurelia.

An old score

Meanwhile, Soundview Community in Action nonprofit director Ed Padilla is mounting a full slate of candidates, down to district leaders and committee members. He's backing Israel Cruz against state Sen. Ruben (The Rev.) Diaz Sr., while the Rev. Carmen Hernandez is going against Assemblyman/Rainbow Rebel Ruben Jr.

The Diazes founded SCA, but yanked funding after Padilla accused them of using it as a family job bank/campaign resource.

He's been a key rebel player in backing black Civil Court candidate Elizabeth Taylor versus County's Puerto Rican candidate Maria Matos - symbolic of the growing rancor among African-American and white party members over all-Puerto Rican-all-the-time favoritism and nepotism.

Pedro steppin' in it

Former state Sen. Pedro Espada, running against indicted state Sen. Efrain Gonzalez - and Jose's arch enemy - launched a dog poop cleanup campaign last week, noting in his press release, "I step in it at least four or five times a week."

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He musta been talking Bronx politics, since he told us he's also planning on running a slate of candidates in several assembly districts for state committee membership and district leaders.

District leaders, along with the party's executive committee, will be voting at the party convention whether Jose stays or goes.

"We will be at the table," predicted the Wascally Wabbit of Bronx politics.

Jose responds

While Maria Baez may be orchestrating the moves against some of the rebels, we'd be hard put to think Jose isn't somehow behind it. As one pro-Jose insider put it, "Jose's not encouraging it - but he's not stopping it."

"I'm just concentrating on what I gotta do this year - get myself reelected [to the Assembly], see what Pedro Espada's doin'," Jose told us. "Anybody else doin' what they're doin'- be my guest. They don't move me one way or another. At the end of the day, I'm a man deeply rooted in faith."

Hector Diaz a player again?

We hear former County and recently made City Clerk Hector Diaz may be back in the game as a compromise candidate for next Democratic Party boss.

He was Jose's reported backup to fill the seat until a high-paying job with a local nonprofit fell through and the timing for Hector to resign his new City Clerk's job just didn't work out.

But the nonprofit job - better than his 176G city paycheck - may be available again. Hector would only have to spend a respectable six months as City Clerk before he can gracefully resign - just about the time the Bronx party holds its nominating convention in September.

We're sure Brooklyn Democratic Boss Vito Lopez, who fought to get the City Clerk's job for one of his peeps, wouldn't mind.